Unification
by FEMSasuke
Summary: RE-UPLOADED: After the massacre, Sasuke is taken in by the Hyuuga clan and is betrothed to Neji. Despite years in the same household, only cold and empty gazes pass between them. What they will have is a loveless union, both of them know and accept it. But sometimes... hearts change. Neji x fem!Sasuke
1. Chapter 1

Neji x Female Sasuke

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CHAPTER 1

oOoOo

(Hiashi's POV)

There had been talk once, an unofficial one, between himself and the child's parents (mostly with the Uchiha matriarch, since Fugaku was a bastard), that his nephew, Neji, would be the perfect match for their daughter. They were only a year apart in age, and they expected that the union between the children would lead to a positive effect in the relationship between their clans. In truth, he hadn't believed it would, and he suspected that neither did the other party. But the thought was quite ideal that both clans would come to friendlier terms. It was not that they were enemies, though, but there were times that the rivalry between them gets a bit out of hand. Perhaps marital union would produce a positive and mutually beneficial result.

Still, it was just an idea spoken about between parents and an uncle therefore there was never any public announcement of any kind nor were there any plans for one. It was simply commented upon out of the blue during an encounter in the park several years ago. They hadn't been whispering, but in his opinion they had conversed about the matter quietly. In hindsight, there had probably been more people listening in on them, which had been very naïve on his part to think otherwise. Despite a non-existent declaration the general population of the village had gobbled up on the news and acted as if a marriage was already set in stone. He still distinctly remembered all the raised eyebrows and some vocal disagreements he received from his clansmen. One even questioned his sanity outright. All the fuss made him acquire a week-long headache, but he knew it would all die out soon if they never spoke of the matter again.

Some months later, what died out was nearly the entire Uchiha clan.

oOoOo

There was no promise for him to honor. Officially, nothing was ever declared. There had only been a half-serious suggestion (by Mikoto) that was responded with non-committal agreements (both his and Fugaku's). He had absolutely nothing to do with taking care of the surviving daughter. But early in the morning, days after the massacre, Sandaime-sama had come to him personally and begged (not asked) him for one favor. It was not one he could refuse, not only because it had come from a leader he deeply respects but also because of the manner in which the elderly man pleaded; adamant and serious while a great sadness was spilling out of him despite the grim facade.

And so he agreed to take her in, not entirely without reluctance, though.

It was a surprise, but not odd, to be chosen to foster the child. He briefly wondered though why Sandaime felt the need to come himself to propose the task, but the current kage was known to be prone to strange behaviors once in a while.

He was asked to give the girl protection, and he would in case anyone would attempt to steal her eyes. He wondered, though, if the Hokage took into consideration of the rivalry between the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans. He suspected that Sandaime, thinking of the similarities between the two families, the girl would feel more at ease. But he, knowing firsthand the sentiments of his clan towards the other, had foresight of how she would be treated. He warned the village leader of this, and the response took him aback.

"Maybe a union would fix that," the white-haired Sarutobi Hiruzen said to him, the corners of his mouth upturned for the first time since he arrived.

"Y-you're seriously suggesting a… marriage, Hokage-sama?" The elder man laughed at him, then told him that the matter was all up to him, but reminded him to consult with clan elders and to tell them that it was at his behest. At first he was certain they'd disapprove, but should they consider that the idea was at the insinuation of their well-respected kage... the outcome could then be the very opposite.

Once alone, ignoring the freshly served tea before him, he thought about what had transpired that morning. He'd agreed to take the Uchiha girl in almost without hesitation. He couldn't decide if he should be regretting his decision or not. But there was no more turning back because he had given his word. He would take the child into his family, which shouldn't be very hard. He has daughters of his own, one of which is the same age.

And in the future, perhaps, she would be officially welcomed into the family by marriage. The idea was starting to grow on him.

The child will come tomorrow. It was quite a sudden turn of events, but not one he would back down from. He paused before standing and wondered how the girl would fare living in his household. He suspected she wouldn't find it easy.

'It is up to her if she will survive here,' he murmured to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

oOoOo

His eyes were very cold as he was introduced to her, she recalls. Behind the layers of his polite facade she sensed a deep hatred, not towards her in particular, but he was unwelcoming all the same. This boy didn't hate her, she thought, but he didn't like her either. He made an effort to hold it in, but it was clear to her as she looked at him through the bangs that veiled her eyes.

He wasn't the only one with the same sentiments, though. In some ways, the boy's was mild compared to the rest of his pale-eyed kin. The others in her new family were grim in their silence and held stern, unsmiling faces. Most ignored her, but from some she sensed and saw a supressed hostility she could not understand. She searched her mind for reasons, scanned their faces for clues but she found none that could give light to their behavior.

Then there was that man, the one she was told to address as Hiashi-sama. She couldn't read him. His hand on her shoulder as he led her through the house offered no comfort. She could not tell if he was trying at all.

She understood one thing, though, that she should not get close to them. Ever. Their manner told her this. She would comply without complaint.

She turned to the full-length mirror of her new room. It leaned against the wall adjacent to the sliding door of the closet. She gazed into her reflection and affirmed that she felt as empty as the brown-haired boy's gaze.

oOoOo

(Sandaime's POV)

He promised Itachi that he would protect her. That was the bargain for his ruthless command, for ordering him to murder his entire family. He tried to justify to himself how it was a necessary measure, that the directive was made with much reluctance, and that after the execution he grieved for every single life lost and to the two left behind.

The elder was now a fugitive, a dishonored figure whose sacrifice would never come to light. The most painful thing about it was that the most important person to him would share the sentiments of the village. Itachi would live alone in disgrace and persecution when it was all actually others' sin to bear. The price of protectingt their home was so heavy, and he hoped one day he could repay the boy for his loss.

Then there was the young Sasuke, the image of his own heartbreak. He initially decided to bring her to his home and raise her as family. It was right. He was largely responsible and it was all the more fitting since his own father was her namesake. He thought that he would feel more at ease if he could personally watch over her at his own residence. She and his grandson could be playmates. Everything seemed sound when he had first thought of it, but he hadn't taken into account several things: the measure of his guilt, and the measure of the impact to Sasuke.

He couldn't look straight into those eyes, that horrifyingly listless gaze. She was the greatest collateral damage. He drowned in his own disgust whenever she came to mind and at this point it was all the time.

He hoped that leaving her in the care of another family, one very similar to her own, would prove favorable to her. The least he could was to make her the happiest she could ever be despite her tragic circumstance.


	3. Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

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* * *

Sasuke turned to the presence she knew had been hovering about behind her in the garden for at least half an hour. Immediately taking it as an acknowledgement and permission to approach, Hinata stepped out from behind the large stone urn and shuffled beside her.

"S-s-Sasuke-chan."

"…"

"S-Sasuke-chan…?"

Though they were in the same class, she'd never spoken to Hinata before. Now, as she stood listening to the girl calling her name, she had no idea what to say. The pale-eyed girl's shyness slightly irritated her, but despite her obvious nervousness she had had the courage to try and talk to her. Sasuke looked on towards the trees on her left, wondering if the girl would go away if she said nothing. She did not feel like talking. She wanted to be alone, because an emptiness within her had her in some kind of hold that made her want to go to somewhere quiet and far away without anyone finding her.

"L-l-let's p-play, Sasuke-chan."

_Play?_

Finally, she turned her empty gaze towards the other's eager one. Did Hinata really wanted to play with her? What did she want to play? Why did she want to play with her?

Frozen with so many questions, arrested by an uncertainty on how to react, and unknowingly haunted by a darkness she had yet to identify or understand, she chose to do the only thing she knew that would end this episode.

Sasuke walked away.

oOoOo

Two months since she moved into her new residence, Hiashi-sama had her summoned. Hinata was the one who led her through the long, quiet hallways and into a sitting room she'd been in only once before. The difference between then and now was that currently the other end of the room was open to the outside hallway and the view of a miniature garden. The evening breeze blew into her face as she entered, and as she did one of the two occupants of the room stood and approached.

Hands behind his back, Sandaime Hokage smiled down at her and at the girl behind her. She found surprise in his presence but supposed that it wasn't strange for the Konoha's leader to visit one of the most prominent clans of the village.

"Have you two been getting along well," he asked them.

"y-y-yes, Sandaime-s-sama," Hinata squeaked in immediately.

Sasuke said nothing. In truth they weren't speaking at all, or at least Sasuke hadn't been responding to Hinata's attempts at conversation. But they weren't not getting along. In the corner of her eye she watched the gentle Hinata who would stubbornly haunt her around the house and at school. She had recently decided that it didn't matter if the girl sat beside her in class. She wondered for the first time if she was warming up to her, wondered if this was what being friends was all about while knowing that they weren't friends at all.

"And how are you, Sasuke?" The old man's dark eyes looked straight down at her. There was so much kindness in those eyes, and she began to recall that this was how this man has always been. Like family, he treated her, and she entertained the thought that maybe she felt the same for him, if she could feel anything right now besides the ever-present emptiness that kept her awake at night.

Glancing behind the crouching Sandaime, Hiashi-sama sat in silence, merely observing. She met his eyes. Similar to her father he was, always stern, silent, and strict. In contrast, Sandaime was gentle and inviting. His hand on her head was warm. Beside her Hinata giggled as he ruffled her hair. The old man grinned, urging on more shy laughter as he rubbed her like he would a pet.

The happiness was starting to become infectious. Sasuke's face softened slightly, then cringed as she tried to fight the unfamiliar lightness in her chest. Noticing the change in her, Sandaime shared a smile with the young Hyuuga before using both hands to ruffle the other dark haired girl. At first Sasuke made an irritated sound but before long she began leaning into the touch before she could stop herself. Embarrassed, she hid her face with her bangs.

This was familial warmth, Sasuke thought as she went to bed. That night, she slept without nightmares for the first time.

oOoOo

"Sa… Sa-Sasuke-chan."

"…"

The dark-eyed girl heard footsteps leave. Hinata had finally given up trying to talk to her for the day. Strangely early, too, she thought. Maybe she'd finally given up all together.

"…"

Going back to the scroll she was reading, Sasuke stifled her disappointment. Just when she thought of finally yielding to the attempts and start doing something together with Hinata the girl gives up. Or at least that's what she has told herself every time. Tomorrow her constant shadow would probably be nowhere to be seen. Just as a sigh of either relief or regret escaped her lips a dull crash sounded in the hallway outside her room followed by other quieter falling noise. Curiously, she popped her head out the doorway and saw Hinata sprawled on the floor with a large fallen basket spilling with tomatoes.

There was no need for Sasuke to ask. While she didn't know how Hinata knew, the delectable looking tomatoes were definitely for her. This girl really wanted to spend time with her, she realized. It didn't matter why. She didn't know how to respond to such honest and sincere feelings, wasn't even sure she was allowed to. Everyone in this large household seemed to compel or demand a distance from her, and she assumed Hinata wanted that, too, despite her persistent attempts for some sort of interaction with her. But Hinata was different and she should have realized that from the start.

"Hinata…" she called shyly, not looking at her.

As if she sensed a change, the other girl stood quickly, stance eager. "Yes, Sasuke-chan," she urged, without stuttering.

"Let's… go play together."

* * *

oOoOo

Hello, after one year without any updates.


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